Had A Bad Day
by ilovenascar
Summary: A fluff ficlet in which Jen has a bad day and Gibbs tries to help. Jibbs, inferred Tony/Shelby. For Ally & the gang at Jenny&Gibbs, who always ask for more fluff.


Fic Title: Had A Bad Day

Author: I Love NASCAR

Fandom: NCIS

Pairing: Jibbs, inferred Tony/Other

Feedback: please

Disclaimer: The only profit I receive from this story is the feedback you provide. All creative rights to the characters belong to DB, not me. (Except Shelby which I'll take full credit for. ;) )

Summary: A fluff ficlet in which Jen has a bad day and Gibbs tries to help.

* * *

Jethro Gibbs walked into his sister's office, sitting on the couch against the wall. "All right, what's going on?"

Shelby looked up from her paperwork. "Nice to see you too." There was no sisterly teasing this time, a stressed look in her blue eyes.

"I can't find Jenny and the whole office is acting...hinky." He used one of Abby's favorite words.

Shelby sighed, looking up at him. "Jen's in MTAC, has been since nine o'clock two nights ago. One of our Europe agents was undercover...fell off the radar."

"Damn," Gibbs whispered under his breath. "Which one?"

"Ben Kincaid." She studied him. "Did you know him?"

He shook his head. "No, but it's been a few years..." He paused. "How's Jenny taking it?"

"She hasn't been out of MTAC, let alone to bed. Cynthia said she doesn't really eat, just wants coffee."

Gibbs cursed under his breath again. "She's gonna crash one of these days."

"I know that, you know that, try convincing Jenny. It's like talking to a brick wall...like talking to you."

He waved his sister off, getting up, starting to leave, and then turning back. "DiNozzo's downstairs."

"Yeah..." She said, looking up from the papers she'd already started working on.

"Go home, honey. Get some sleep. You look like hell."

She smiled. "Get out of here. Go check on Jenny."

Jenny Shepherd rolled her shoulders back and forth, tense from sitting in the same position too long. She'd been standing most of the night, pacing back and forth, but she was too tired to do that anymore. She had every intention on leaving MTAC as soon as she got confirmation from the head of the Europe office that the agent was safe, headed to the hospital, and that his wife had been notified. The situation was bringing back bad memories, ones she'd just as soon forget. How many times had she been in the wife's position, getting the call that the man she loved so much, the only person who really made her feel safe, was in danger, was in the hospital? Most of the time, she accepted it as part of his job, part of hers, but it was times like this that she hated the reminder that the next second could change everything.

She was brought back to the present while she talked to the Europe command, one she vaguely remembered from when she and Jethro had worked there. The screen had no sooner went blank when she smelled the familiar scent of coffee and sawdust.

Gibbs knew better than to show affection at work, one of the few rules they had, but one that was necessary until one of them chose to retire. He touched her hand instead, letting his rest on top of her own. "Shelby told me about Kincaid."

"He's en route to the hospital now. Pretty bad, but he'll live."

He nodded, noticing how exhausted and stressed she looked. "Let's take a walk." She nodded, getting up with him, walking out to the hallway. "Jen..." He started and then stopped. "Let me drive you home."

She knew she should argue, but at that point and time, didn't know why, so she agreed. "Thank you."

When they arrived at the house, he went to the bathroom, filling the tub with water, hot enough to relax her, but not too hot enough to scald her. He put in some bubble bath and lit some aromatherapy candles, putting a CD on quietly for background noise.

"How'd you know to do all this?"

"After all this time, I have learned some things," he said, smiling slightly.

He heard her sigh as she got into the tub and then went to the kitchen, making French toast, bacon, and pouring some apple juice, putting it all on a tray. By the time she was through with her bath, he had finished cooking and brought the tray to the bedroom.

She kissed his cheek tiredly. "Thank you."

"You should eat and then get some sleep."

She shook her head. "I can't. I have a meeting..."

"I'll have Cynthia cancel it. Whoever it is, they'll understand. Or I'll go in, take care of it for you."

"God, no. Anything but that," she teased slightly, pausing, and then just asking. "Why are you being so nice?"

He acted hurt. "How am I supposed to be?"

"You know what I mean. You never make me a bath, rarely make me breakfast in bed..."

He paused, knowing what she was going to say. He had a tendency to give her a hard time about her job, usually at exactly the wrong moment. "Maybe I missed you."

She smiled. "Maybe I missed you too." There was no maybe about it. While he'd been away on the case, she'd missed him dreadfully, yet another reason why she hadn't been sleeping.

"You're tired and you're upset and I want to take care of you." He finally admitted. "Is that so wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. It's not wrong at all. I..." She stopped herself. "Thank you."

"Eat," he said gently, making sure she got some food in her stomach, watching as she fell to sleep, still sitting up.

He removed the tray, moving her until she was lying down, stroking red hair out of her face. "Je t'aime, Jen. Je t'aime." He took the tray to the kitchen and then came back, watching her sleep.


End file.
